1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to image recognition.
2. Related Art
Widespread use of digital cameras has led to individuals amassing large quantities of digital photos. An individual may share digital photos via photo sharing web sites, such as the PICASSAWEB site available from Google Inc. Some photo sharing sites enable a user to name an object, such as a face, that appears in one or more photos. Naming each face in a large photo collection can be tedious and time-consuming for a user.
Some photo sharing sites attempt to group similar looking faces together, enabling the user to name the group of faces. While these techniques have advantages, they tend not to be scalable. Often, a group of faces that can be matched has a maximum size, above which the accuracy of face matching diminishes.
Systems and methods are needed that match a large number of object images, such as face images.